Maybe you can steal some poisoned wine and bribe a housekeeper to leave an office window open, or seal some air vents in order to make a smokey exit in the sewers below.

These unique assassination opportunities make Assassin's Creed Unity feel much less rigid than previous releases, as players are afforded the opportunity to tackle objectives in a wider variety of different ways.

It's easily the best game yet in terms of carving out an individual character and play style, something which makes it feel like a much more personal experience.

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With most sequences ending with a high-profile assassination attempt - something which could become repetitive after the sixth or seventh time - these brand new mission modifiers do a fine job of keeping things fresh.

It also helps that Ubisoft has finally introduced a dedicated stealth button and proper cover system, something we've been crying out for for years.

Granted, previous games had hiding spots but in Unity you make your own shelter, taking advantage of every wall, window and piece of furniture.

It gives players increased confidence in the ability to sneak through levels unseen, knowing that it's not always going to end in a mass brawl after you're inevitably spotted. If you get spotted this time round, chances are it's your fault.

Not being able to dash from cover-to-cover isn't ideal (and surprising considering Watch Dogs did it so well) but it's definitely a step in the right direction.

Players also have a host of toys to make the job that little bit easier and more interesting, including smoke and cherry bombs, as well as unlockable disguises that form part of the game's levelling up system.

In addition to new abilities, health and access to a greater variety of weapons, players can purchase new outfits and colours, which not only look good, but also give Arno a host of statistical boosts.

It's easily the best game yet in terms of carving out an individual character and play style, something which makes it feel like a much more personal experience.

It's a good thing too, because Assassin's Creed Unity is short of interesting characters. The story itself - involving usual Assassins and Templars - is typically full of twists and turns, but also fails to sparkle, and feels like we've seen it all before.

There's a love story in there too, but it's hard to become invested in the cookie-cutter characters.

Despite taking place in revolutionary Paris, the fact that characters either sound like pirates or English aristocrats is also slightly off-putting, while the average peasant on the street sounds like a West Country farmer.

We would have also liked to have witnessed more of the modern-day goings on between the Assassins and Abstergo, but this plays a much smaller role in the latest release.

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That said, it's modern-day interference that provides Assassin's Creed Unity with some of its most memorable moments, as players are whisked to different time periods in an attempt to evade Abstergo's prying eyes.

We don't want to ruin the surprise for fans who haven't seen the recent trailer, but these linear free-running sections are fantastic, let down only by the fact that there are too few of them in the game.

We also really like the new murder mysteries in which you hunt for clues and make accusations, not to mention the Nostradamus Enigma codes where you must solve riddles to uncover the location of hidden symbols.

Both mission types require a bit of sleuthing, making them ideal fodder for when you've overdosed on free-running and sword-fighting.

Nostradamus Enigma codes, in particular, provide players with the perfect excuse to explore Paris and read the various database entries to unravel the clues.

The city of Paris really is a great location for Assassin's Creed, and you can't go ten yards without coming across another famous landmark steeped in history.

From a historical standpoint, this is one of the most interesting Assassin's Creed games yet.

The only thing it's lacking is some nice, picturesque countryside to explore, although small farms and fields on the outskirts provide some change from the busy streets.

Elsewhere, users can also partake in robberies and assassinations with other players, although stealing artefacts from estates with randomly-generated guards isn't easy when you're playing with strangers, as it inevitably ends with somebody getting spotted.

This is a feature best played with friends - a first for the franchise's campaign - where you can better co-ordinate attacks and hit those high scores. Randomly-generated enemy layouts and treasure location is a nice touch, giving it extra replay value.

With two-person assassinations that provide additional backstory, co-op is an exciting feature and one that ties in seamlessly to the single-player experience. We look forward to exploring it in greater depth when more people are online.

Unfortunately, for every positive change, a few long-standing issues rear their ugly head and put a downer on the experience.

This perhaps isn't the revolutionary release we were hoping for, but Assassin's Creed Unity takes some positive strides forward, making another stellar entry in the yearly series.

The game can be quite buggy, with locations sometimes failing to load, while characters occasionally fall through the map or get stuck on a wall.

Free-running, meanwhile, is still a little clumsy, with players likely to end up perched on tables or barrels as they pursue targets in tight interiors or narrow back-alleys. That said, we do like the downwards parkour, which stops Arno accidentally plummeting to his death.

Also, a mixture of uneven checkpointing, long loading times and a high difficulty makes certain missions infuriating, as you're transported back to the start after taking a sword through the chest by a group of seemingly invincible enemies.

While it's true that Assassin's Creed Unity lacks the polish we would expect from the series by now, it's bolstered by its fantastic location, interesting new mission types and deeper emphasis on customisation.

This perhaps isn't the revolutionary release we were hoping for, but Assassin's Creed Unity takes some positive strides forward, delivering another stellar entry in the yearly series.